A city businessman has been charged with obtaining USD 54,550 (Ksh7.1 million) from a foreigner by falsely pretending he could sell him 15 kilograms of gold.
Abass Badru Omuyoma, alias Yuri Sande Ismael, who appeared before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Robison Ondieki, has denied obtaining USD 54,550 from Yvan De Coninck by falsely pretending that he was in a position to procure 15 kilograms of gold.
According to the prosecution, Omuyoma is alleged to have committed the offence on August 11, 2021, within Nairobi County while jointly with others not before the court.
The magistrate ordered the case to be heard on May 13 without further delay.
Other scam suspects
In another court, three businessmen who are alleged to have scammed an Indian national millions of shillings by lying to him that they would help him secure a tender at the Ministry of ICT were charged with the offence.
The accused, Erick Otieno, Alex Stephen Ogolla, and Mofat Gicheru Kamau, appeared before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Susan Shitubi. They are alleged to have used the Ministry of Information Communication and Digital Economy to siphon money from foreigners.
According to the prosecution, they scammed Vijay Virma USD 398,000 (Ksh60 million) by pretending that they would help him secure a tender at the Ministry of Information Communication.
The charge against them states that on diverse dates between September 2023 and December 2023 in Nairobi, they jointly with others not before the court conspired to steal from Vijay Virma by falsely pretending they would secure for him a tender for the supply of laptops to the Ministry of Information Communication and Digital Economy, a fact they knew to be false.
They are also charged with making a false document contrary to section 347(a) as read with section 349 of the Penal Code.
It is said that on November 1, 2023, at an unknown place and time within the Republic of Kenya, with the intent to defraud NVT Mobile Telecom and Accessories Trading FZCO company of USD 398,000 (Ksh60 million), they made a false document, namely request for quotation reference number MICT/VOL.1/VACC/2023-1, purporting it to be a genuine and valid document issued by the Ministry of Information Communication and Digital Economy.
The magistrate issued an order compelling the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to release a motor vehicle said to be owned by one of the accused persons, Ogolla.
They are out on a Ksh3 million bond each and a surety of the same amount.
The case will be mentioned on April 29 for further direction.
